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First Person: How We Cut the Cord and Now Enjoy (Almost) Free TV
yahoo finance ^ | 1-21-11 | ted sherman

Posted on 01/21/2011 7:34:53 AM PST by WOBBLY BOB

We cut the cord after our local cable provider, Time-Warner, raised our rates to over $90 a month for our cable television service alone. We have one HDTV and were subscribed to the basic cable service, with a digital box. We also subscribed to what they called their "Variety" tier, which included A & E, BBC America, Discovery Channel and the other basic cable channels. We did not get HBO or any premium channels and there were many other basic channels not even included in their Variety tier. In addition, we were charged $10 a month for the rental of the DVR unit and another $10 a month for the ten or so HD channels they offered. The package was originally offered at about $50 a month, but promotional discounts were eliminated or expired and the rate climbed to over $90 for that same service level.

(Excerpt) Read more at finance.yahoo.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Computers/Internet; Miscellaneous; Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: bill; cable; cabletv; free; mediacom; tv
FYI
1 posted on 01/21/2011 7:34:57 AM PST by WOBBLY BOB
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To: WOBBLY BOB

I’m willing to pay $1/channel/month. There’s only about 10 channels I would watch occasionally. I threw out the cable about 10 years ago. Note that some broadcast stations have less compression than many cable channels.


2 posted on 01/21/2011 7:37:20 AM PST by Paladin2
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To: WOBBLY BOB

To get the local channels, we bought a $15. digital TV antenna,

In two different locations, both well within a metropolitan area, I have gotten spotty reception with the new digital TV system. Scenes freeze up, or channels just become unavailable.

In my digital antenna cost more like $50.


3 posted on 01/21/2011 7:42:38 AM PST by DManA
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To: WOBBLY BOB

If you dont have a digital antenna go get one and give it a try.

you would be amazed ow many stations you can get with digital clarity

I got rid of my $170 a month bill (multiple DVR boxes was the big killer) and now I have a computer video card and all the ability to record and play stations I want

I kept the internet service only


4 posted on 01/21/2011 7:43:24 AM PST by Mr. K (There are 10 types of people those who know BINARY and those who don't)
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To: Paladin2

the cable bundles suck.

I watch maybe 3-5 channels:
Discovery,History,BBC America,Travel,occasionally Food Network.


5 posted on 01/21/2011 7:46:01 AM PST by WOBBLY BOB ( "I don't want the majority if we don't stand for something"- Jim Demint)
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To: Mr. K

We did the same thing. I bought a digital antenna for less than $50 and used the brackets from the satellite dish to mount the new antenna. DirecTV didn’t want their dish back anyway. We get 27 stations free, and all the networks broadcast in true HD during prime time hours, and a couple are HD 24/7. I feed 4 televisions in the house without any boosters. We now laugh every time we see a commercial for dish TV or cable.


6 posted on 01/21/2011 7:50:03 AM PST by cbvanb
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To: Mr. K

You’re right about the digital antenna. We bought ours from Denny’s Antenna Service online. They had excellent customer service. I do miss the DVR capabilities, though.


7 posted on 01/21/2011 7:56:18 AM PST by ChocChipCookie
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To: WOBBLY BOB

Our cable bill was getting out of hand. So I called and complained and they magically offered me a much lower price for the same service.


8 posted on 01/21/2011 8:06:09 AM PST by wideminded
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To: wideminded
I called and complained and they magically offered me a much lower price for the same service.

I did that about 14 years ago when I told them I was canceling cable for satellite. They offered the lower price but I switched to a dish. Now the satellite is the same price the cable used to be. Switching satellite carriers is the remaining option. I can stream internet video from the Wii, Blu-Ray and a notebook computer, but that doesn't provide all the channels I want.

9 posted on 01/21/2011 8:17:56 AM PST by DeFault User
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To: WOBBLY BOB
You can make your own digital antenna. I did:

http://www.digitalhome.ca/ota/superantenna/

Look around this site and look at the different approaches people have used. Mine is very simple, and pulls in OTA signals for free, much better looking than the cable-provided pictures.
10 posted on 01/21/2011 8:37:59 AM PST by Nepeta
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To: ChocChipCookie

Buy a DVR.


11 posted on 01/21/2011 8:38:22 AM PST by stuartcr (Everything happens as God wants it to...otherwise, things would be different)
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To: WOBBLY BOB

Same here. But my complaint is that the History Channel plays the same shows over and over. I can only take so much about Hitler.


12 posted on 01/21/2011 8:56:01 AM PST by rfreedom4u ("A patriot must always be ready to defend his country against his government.")
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To: rfreedom4u
History Channel hasn't had a show about Hitler in years.

Now all their shows are about hillbillies digging trash out of their garages and selling it at pawn shops.

der Furher would be a pleasure to watch by comparison.

13 posted on 01/21/2011 9:40:39 AM PST by Notary Sojac (We have had three central banks in America's history: two of them failed and so will this one....)
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To: WOBBLY BOB

Here is a thread that I was in a while ago that has some information on this:

Nearly 800,000 U.S. TV households ‘cut the cord,’ report says - Yahoo! News
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2497121/posts


14 posted on 01/21/2011 12:01:27 PM PST by Only1choice____Freedom (FDR had the New Deal. President 0bama has the Raw Deal.)
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To: WOBBLY BOB

We should be able to pick the channels we want and dump the rest.
I have about 120 channels but watch maybe 25.The channels I would realy want are on a another and more expensive plan.
My buddy has Fios with about 300....and last weekend we watched USA network because there was nothing on the movie channels.


15 posted on 01/22/2011 3:59:43 AM PST by Yorlik803 (better to die on your feet than live on your knees.)
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To: DeFault User

I quit the cable in Apr. 1997 when it went to 32 bucks, in July I got webtv for 21.95 a month, it’s still 21.95 a month. The cable is full of paid comercials at nite.


16 posted on 01/22/2011 4:08:47 AM PST by Waco (From Seward to Sarah.)
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